Metro - I agree with you about the cracking down on liscensing and regualtions. It would help a lot - but I highly doubt enforcement will ever come.
In the interim, getting the phone to ring with a $12 flyer so that you can try to upsell most of the customers may work for you but it really contributes to the problem that face all of us - the discounting of our labor. I can't tell you how to market your business, but after 28 years in the business, I 've seen a lot. We could all learn an important lesson from the auto industry. The race to the bottom may gain you a short term boost, but when the market won't pay more than $15/acre to cut and $12 a driveway to plow.... we'll have no one but ourselves to blame. No one can survive on those prices - except the crackheads.
I frequently put prices in my ads with "Lawn Service starting from $XX" but that price is more representative of the Average Price in the area - not the Lowest Price I have in the area. I do some lawns for free (in-laws, friends)... but I'd never put "I do lawns for FREE" in my ad - just to get the phone to ring.
Competition in the market is good. But, the "we'll beat any price" and the lawns for as low as $12" ads really diminish the value of our service (as an industry). Like I said, I can't tell you how to market your business - but I try to encourage everyone to price and market themselves like a profession not a discount service. Only then will people respect us like service providers.

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JP - If everyone would do this instead of lowball we all could benefit, STILL BE COMPETETIVE and gain a little more RESPECT. Anyone on the eastside remember the comment that made it into the G.p. News about the "Lawn Rats", and that was the Chief of police in G.P. Farms.
14 customers from 1988 still being serviced by Greenlawn Pro,Inc. (Just lost 2 from death).

Metro - I agree with you about the cracking down on liscensing and regualtions. It would help a lot - but I highly doubt enforcement will ever come.
In the interim, getting the phone to ring with a $12 flyer so that you can try to upsell most of the customers may work for you but it really contributes to the problem that face all of us - the discounting of our labor. I can't tell you how to market your business, but after 28 years in the business, I 've seen a lot. We could all learn an important lesson from the auto industry. The race to the bottom may gain you a short term boost, but when the market won't pay more than $15/acre to cut and $12 a driveway to plow.... we'll have no one but ourselves to blame. No one can survive on those prices - except the crackheads.
I frequently put prices in my ads with "Lawn Service starting from $XX" but that price is more representative of the Average Price in the area - not the Lowest Price I have in the area. I do some lawns for free (in-laws, friends)... but I'd never put "I do lawns for FREE" in my ad - just to get the phone to ring.
Competition in the market is good. But, the "we'll beat any price" and the lawns for as low as $12" ads really diminish the value of our service (as an industry). Like I said, I can't tell you how to market your business - but I try to encourage everyone to price and market themselves like a profession not a discount service. Only then will people respect us like service providers.

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could not agree more with this post....in this industry unless you our one of the big guns with a well known name then you get treated like a dirt bag...

one reason for this is the statement...lawn care starting at $XX.XX....(Metro i have nothing aganst you so please dont take this being directed directly at you B/C its not) So the customer calls thinking there going to get a great deal on lawn care only to find out that opps...whipping is an extra $2....and o yeah edging that will also be an extra $2...dont forget we have to blow off the clipping that will be another $2...or we could just leave them there.
Then the customer still signs knowing its still lower than industry standard but has a dirty taste in there mouth from being misslead from there ad...

It would be like the gas station putting up a sign outside saying $1.60 for gas and you waiting in line for an hour the whole time thinking....crap im going to get a crazy deal....and you get to the pump and that $1.60 price is for 2/3 of a gallon...well you do the math and its still 10 cents cheaper than nextdoor so you get it anyways but your still pissed.

this practice is just not how i would want to run my business...i would feel like a donkey everytime i had to explain to a potential client than its all just a marketing scheme to draw in more customer

another instance is the mortage industry...they advertise such a low rate and you never end up getting the advertised rate its always higher and you feel like you dont know if its a fair rate or there just trying to take you for a fast one....i feel so dirty and just nasty after that

i wouldnt be able to do it

"People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselfs to copy after"

I am new to all this but it IS all about up-selling. The gym I just joined advertises 19.99 a month. When you go there to sign up you learn that is for 3 days a week, you pick the days..blah,blah blah. That was fine with me. Of course I went with the 39.99 a month, 7 days, free on site daycare. So stating a low price to get the call is good as long as you can stick to it if all they want is the min.

so i just signed up my GL insurance with Ivey & Brown Inc in hartland. i have 1mil per occurance and a 2mil aggregate for bodily injury and prop damage. i just cut the check for $257 for a year. i dont know what you guys have but this is good for me

Terrapro Landscape Service
Landscape maintenance and gardening services
Licensed and insured professional horticulturalist
Snow removal- commercial and residentialwww.terraprolandscape.com
Equipment list- A bucket and some pruners.

Im not trying to start a war, really. Im just more confused and would like an explanation if one exists. How do you do a lawn for ony $12? Whats the gimmick? And beat all competitors prices to boot. Ive been trying to figure it out, is it front yard only, is it mowing with no trimming or blowing, are there really no $12 yards? I just dont see how you do it, regardless of volume. I am hoping since Metro is a member of this forum as well, he will shed some insight.

Kevin

P.S. This ad is currently running in the local paper, so I did not think it was neccessary to blur anything out.